If Barry Ferguson wants to be Rangers boss he must move fast

Barry Ferguson made a bold and brave move in taking up the manager’s job at Clyde.

You can see why he did it. His first managerial post, at Blackpool, was not a success.

Thrust into the job in January following the departure of Paul Ince, he led the Seasiders to just three wins in twenty games during his time in charge.

Now by all accounts, the circumstances he inherited were far from ideal. This was a club with problems.

That, though, has not changed the fact his summer departure left him in need of an opportunity to rebuild his coaching career.

And while some would have viewed swapping the English Championship for Scotland’s League Two as too much of a drop, it is a job nevertheless.

One that has already thrown him up a terrific platform with which to impress in the shape of tomorrow night’s Petrofac Cup clash with his old club Rangers.

It is, as Ally McCoist has said, the tie is a no-lose situation for his opposite number.

Rangers are expected to win every game and that includes their Championship clashes with Hearts and Hibs this season.

Since that is the case, opposition bosses can send their teams out to have a go pretty much without fear of the consequences.

Barry Ferguson, of course, has an advantage on other bosses because of his special knowledge of the Ibrox club. But and it is a crucial but the same is not true of the club’s league fixtures.

I said at the start of this column I thought Barry made a brave and bold decision in taking up the job.

That is because when you drop in standard, you leave yourself no room for manoeuvre. This is a man who has made no secret of the fact he wants one day to become the Rangers manager.

If that is ever going to happen, he will need to move up and move up quickly. If he impresses, then I have no doubt bigger Scottish clubs will not be slow in offering him an opportunity to step up.

There is not the same turnover of coaches in this country as you get in England. Jobs do come up and, thanks to his track record as a player, Barry remains a big name a very big name.

Directors like them because they help with profile, and profile helps bring people in through the gate.

But he will need to impress and do so in a league where other managers will certainly be out to make life hard for him.

Personally, I think much will hinge on how he handles players who operate at a level much lower than he is used to.

Ask too much of them, and he could find they step back when it is time to step up. Get them on board, persuade them they have the chance to move up with them, and this Clyde could be just a stop off on Barry’s route back to the top.

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